The successful return of AJ Lee, Cena still needlessly goes meta, Giulia vs. Michin, Aleister vs. Priest, more

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After last week’s abysmal show, I went into Friday Night Smackdown with trepidation. However, I left with satisfaction and excitement about what’s to come! The return of AJ Lee has set the internet ablaze, and while I hate to say his name, Brock Lesnar’s return brings with it a certain level of operatic violence. A great show with one significant miss. As always, I’m Chris Adams, and you can reach me at cadamsowj@gmail.com if you think I’ve Missed!

CENA OPENING PROMO: HIT

It would be almost impossible to call these promos misses simply because they successfully evoke the emotion that WWE aims to evoke. A sense of nostalgia, joy, and the ability to reconnect with the childlike wonder many of us had when watching John Cena in the ring. However, I was immediately pulled out of the promo when Cena declared that it was unplanned and unscripted. Once again, he has found a way to peel back the curtain on the business in a way that isn’t helpful. The failure of a heel turn should have shown WWE that what people want—and what the audience believes to be a proper retirement tour—is simply a celebration of John Cena. Nothing meta or postmodern. Still, despite all my criticism, it’s hard to deny Cena’s magnetism, whether as a company man in or out of character. While he has earned this in his retirement tour, I’ll be glad when these overly-emotive promos of thankfulness no longer open the shows.

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CENA VS. ZAYN: HIT

Cena had the crowd in the palm of his hand, for when Sami Zayn made his entrance, he did so to a tidal wave of boos. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sami Zayn receive the kind of boos he did last night. The crowd was hungry for Cena to be Cena, and Sami’s presence threatened that. However, a friendly competition ensued between the two as Sami put his belt on the line to honor the man who did the same a decade ago. Sami staring down Cena and shouting, ‘If you want some, come get some,’ was good character work that set the stage for a hot match. This was a very solid professional wrestling match, with a few minor botches quickly corrected by these two experts. There were moments that responded to the crowd’s chants, like the attempted RKO on Sami. The match felt organic, not only within the ring but also in how it connected with the audience. It was a cohesive spectacle. And, my God, Cena hit a GTS better than I’ve seen Punk do! His spear, however, still needs some refinement. After an avalanche AA, there could have been a victory for Cena, but it was spoiled by Brock Lesnar’s return. I am still disgusted by his ongoing presence in WWE programming and hate that he taints the good work of Cena and Sami tonight.

ALEISTER BLACK VS. DAMIEN PRIEST: HIT

Leading into the match, there was a powerful vignette highlighting the chaos brought by Aleister Black. He is a more compelling version of what Karrion Kross sought to be. Black is his own man, driven by a deep sense of justice that compels him to play by a different set of rules. He makes an excellent foil for Damien Priest, who also walks the line between darkness and light. Both men create chaos when they choose to, and both resort to violence if they believe they are justified. A sneak attack by Black on Priest allowed Black to display a moment of pure, unfiltered attitude as he still managed to land his signature ring entrance amid chaos in the background. Not to be outdone, Priest had his moments of triumphant violence and passion throughout the match, with a Razor’s Edge delivered to Black on an unforgiving and unbreaking announce table. The highlight of the match was Black’s Meteora, which landed with such force that it sent him bouncing across the ring, leaving Priest lying in the center as a broken man. Black’s victory over Priest, aided by Black Mass shenanigans, ensures their feud will continue. We should all be thankful for that.

GIULIA VS. MICHIN: MISS

While it pains me to declare this a Miss, as I will always sing the praises of Michen, we should be honest: the Women’s US Championship scene feels lifeless. Dead. The audience was so quiet, too quiet for a crowd that was blisteringly hot just minutes before. Their silence is an indictment of the way this feud has been built and the way the title itself has been managed. It is not the fault of Giulia or Michen. Rather, this suffers because of the booking. Both wrestlers deserve, and need, better material if WWE wants this feud to be productive financially to advance both characters

THE RETURN OF A.J. LEE: HIT

You don’t need to have lived through A.J. Lee’s rise to grasp how significant her return is. I wasn’t a viewer during her peak, but I could feel the crowd’s excitement through my TV. I understand her appeal, breaking the mold of what it meant to be a women’s wrestler in WWE at a time when a reliance on sex appeal was still the driving metric. Whatever WWE paid to bring her back seemed worthwhile, as social media numbers show her return is among the most-watched in history. The brief segment she had with Becky Lynch in the ring was intense and felt genuine, which is exactly what you want from a short segment like this. The heroes came out on top, and the villains left sniveling and whining. It’s simple storytelling that still works and gets people excited. Expect this storyline to be a huge success for everyone involved, especially the fans.

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